Wulingyuan Scenic Area

Situated in the Wuling Mountains in the northwest of Hunan, Wulingyuan covers an area of 396 kilometers. It is a dream-like wonderland of steep mountains, peculiar peaks, clear waters, tranquil woods, precipitous valleys and miraculous caverns.

3-4 Days

Highlights

mountains, plants and animals

Best Time of Year

All Year

Situated in the Wuling Mountains in the
northwest of Hunan, Wulingyuan covers an area of 396 kilometers. It is a
dream-like wonderland of steep mountains, peculiar peaks, clear waters,
tranquil woods, precipitous valleys and miraculous caverns. As early as 1988,
it was evaluated as a state-level scenic area. Most honorably, it was inscribed
on the World Heritage List in 1992 by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO.

Wulingyuan is one of the most beautiful,
most fantastic and most spectacular scenic areas of China. When you are ready
for a tour to enjoy the grandeur of nature, Wulingyuan will fully deserve to be
your first destionation. Her landscape, customs and facilities will surely make
your tour rewarding and satisfactory.

It has been described as a wonderland in
the earthly world. It is a world of verdant vegetation, an enlarged potted
landscape, a miniature fairyland and an enormous landscape garden. What’s more,
it becomes all the more charming with the impressive folk customs of the
locals. People of Tujia, Miao, Bai, Yao and Zhuang minority nationalities have
long been living here.

The beauty of Wulingyuan lies in its wild
and natural scenery. There is not any splendid pavilion, platform or tower with
red walls and green tiles, or any man-made arched bridge or cement step, or any
other artificial sight, but vast primeval forests and tracts of second growth,
knife-cut cliffs towering aloft, nature-made brooks babbling in unknown
valleys, exotic flowers growing wild and bright, fresh air and variable clouds
and mists. People who have suffered a lot in the hustle and bustle of
metroplises would be more fond of forest and brooks in wild mountains if they
were in this natural fairyland.

Unforgettable are those forests of
pinnacles, zigzagging streams, rare trees and fleecy clouds drifting above
peaks, which, so fantastic, lend themselves to the oblivion of oneself.

Have You Ever Been to Zhangjiajie? Here Are Seven Reasons to Go:

1. Walk of Faith

On Tianmen Mountain in Tianmen Mountain National Park, there is a 200 foot long glass path that wraps around the mountains. It is often called the “Walk of Faith” as it is a staggering 4,600 feet above the ground. A terrifying, but exciting view if you can look down!

2.Baofeng Lake

Baofeng Lake is in the Wulingyuan Scenic Area. It is a beautiful tranquil spot to spend an afternoon, although not shown in the picture, there also is a little trail that leads across a suspension bridge and past a waterfall hundreds of feet tall.

3.Tianmen Cave

The gateway to Tianmen Cave at Tianmen Mountain is a 430 feet high staircase. It is definitely a challenge to take on, but you will certainly feel accomplished at the top.

4.Natural Bridge

This natural bridge has handrails which makes it safe to cross, but still be careful when crossing. Although it’s a lesser known part of Wulingyuan Scenic Area, it is still a beautiful place to visit.

5. Bailong Elevator

After three years of construction, the Beilong Elevator was completed on the side of a cliff in the Wulingyuan Scenic Area in 2002. Beilong is a 1000 foot high glass elevator that allows you to enjoy the scene as well as the ride.

6.Huanglong Cave

Huanglong Cave, also known as Yellow Dragon Cave, is in the Wulingyuan Scenic Area and receives more than 1 million visitors each year. There are several underground water features such as lakes, rivers and waterfalls. The guided tour, which travels down one of the rivers in a boat, takes about 2 hours to complete.

7.Glass Bridge

China is building the largest glass bridge in the world in the Wulingyuan Scenic Area. It will be a towering 984 feet above the ground, and although the Glass bridge is not open yet, it will be July 2015. Spanning two cliffs in the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon area, it will stretch 430 meters (1,410 feet) long and 6 meters (20 feet) wide, hovering over a 300-meter (984-foot) vertical drop.

Source: thefriednoodle.wordpress.com

YOU CAN'T MISS

Avatar and Hallelujah Mountain

With an altitude of 1,074 meters and a vertical height of about 150 meters, the mountain is also called Qiankun Pillar which means a pillar standing between heaven and earth in Chinese.Many scenery pictures during the shooting became the prototypes of various elements of the Pandora Planet in the movie "Avatar".

Wild Birds and Animals

Birds here belong to 8 or 9 orders, with a dozen families and over 60 species. Among them, the white crane is the most attractive and is of the greatest number. Among the over 150 kinds of animals inhabitating Wulingyuan, more than 20 kinds are under special protection of the state, such as the South China Tiger, zibet, macaque, pangolin, the giant salamander, and the musk deer.

Rare Trees and Precious Flowers

97% of the area is covered with vegetation. More than 3,000 species of higher plants have been found here, which are over twice the total of the whole Europen Continent. Besides, various bright-colored flowers are in full bloom all year around.